The Perfect Escape
by jellybean96
Summary: All she was looking for was an escape from her insane and crazy life. She ended up with a whole lot more. Part 1 of the Hollywood!AU


**Hey babes! Got a new story for ya.**

 **This one is for a friend of mine; he gave me this AU/headcanon over tumblr messaging, and I decided to make a whole story out of it. He was super impatient about this too, kept bugging me about when it would be posted. Well it's posted now.**

 **You can blame my friend for all the talk about and references to Skye's large boobs.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

She loves her job. She always has, ever since she started on this crazy, yet incredible, path. There's no denying it, not that she ever would, because she really loves what she does for a living.

She's a pretty big name actress, some consider her to be a household name, and most everyone all over the world knows who she is as well as all of the countless projects she's been a part of since her career started. She's been in a lot of films that did extremely well in the box office and had a few guest spots on different TV shows. She even has her fair share of award nominations as well as wins. She also has some of the most amazing fans in the world; they're sweet and genuinely love her and her work. It's one of the things that makes what she does actually worthwhile.

She really does love it, the acting world, but a lot of the time it can get very overwhelming and aggravating for her. Especially when she _knows_ that the majority of her male costars only look at her boobs when they're around her. She has large boobs, she knows that, larger than most of the other female actresses. She doesn't try to hide them or accentuate them, they're just there.

When she was younger she was pretty self-conscious about them; her boobs came in way before any of her friends and they were always the biggest. When she got into high school she actually started to embrace what she was given and wasn't very self-conscious about them anymore. But when she got started in the acting business it definitely became somewhat of a curse for her. Especially where the wardrobe department is concerned. She's popped open more shirt buttons than she can count by twisting the wrong way during a scene.

So sometimes she just likes to get away from the whole Hollywood scene for a while and spend some time out of the media's prying eye. But, unfortunately for her, they always seem to end up finding her wherever she goes to get away within the city limits, so it's getting more and more difficult for her to actually escape the paparazzi that's always trailing after her. None of her usual places are any good anymore for just getting away from things; she's starting to get bored at them. And certain days on the occasional weekend aren't really cutting it anymore; it's not doing much to satiate her need for some time away from everything.

.

.

.

She hates having to bail out on a project if there's nothing actually wrong, but she just can't take another day of it. Her latest project is a great one, she absolutely loves the story and the writing and the characters, but it's really taking a toll on her; she needs a break from it. Or, to be more exact, a break from her costar.

The latest guy she's working with is a good actor, one of the best she's seen, but he also happens to kind of sleazy and doesn't even try in the slightest to hide the fact that he only looks at her boobs when he talks to her outside of work. Even if they're completely covered with no cleavage showing at all he still stares at them. Time and time again she wants to say something to him but knows it won't do any good.

One of the biggest downsides she's found to being a woman working in Hollywood is that most of the men she works with on camera don't take her seriously enough half the time. Even if she does have more Oscars than they do.

.

.

.

She ends up calling up her agent early in the morning before her call time which is at 5:30. She honestly feels bad for calling the other woman so early, but she just needs a day to herself. She doesn't take personal days too often when she isn't actually sick or injured. So it's a pretty rare thing for her to ask for a day off work.

"I just really need to take a day to myself," she tells her agent. "You know I don't like doing this, but I just...I need a little time away."

"It's perfectly fine, Skye. You know I understand completely. I'll talk to the production team and work everything out for you. You just go and take your day. You deserve it."

If she's ever forgotten how grateful she is for her agent, it's times like these that remind her. Her agent will always do whatever she can to make sure she's happy and doing well mentally and emotionally.

When she finishes on the phone she takes a quick shower, gets dressed in some jeans and a loose sweater, and then heads out to her car.

Her driver takes her to most of her fancier events or if she's going to the airport, but she drives herself to the studio for work. It's nice driving herself, she's glad that didn't change once she got into the industry, she likes the peace and quiet it gives her for a few minutes before she gets to her job. But today, today she just needs to get out and drive; she doesn't care where she ends up. She just needs to go.

So that's what she does. She just gets in her car and drives. She does the usual escape tactics that her driver does whenever he takes her out, just to be on the safe side, in case anyone might be following her. Namely, the paparazzi.

Eventually, after driving for a while, she finds herself in a small town that seems so far off the map she has a pretty good feeling that no one will find her there. She drives around and finds a nice little bar on the far edge of the town which is perfect for her; a drink is exactly what she needs in that moment.

She pulls into a parking space and shifts the gear into park before shutting off the engine, just sitting there for a moment. She's not exactly sure why she does it, she just does.

Eventually she steps out of her car, grabbing her sunglasses out of the center console and sliding them on. It's not much of a disguise, as if she's really even trying at this point, but sometimes a simple pair of sunglasses is all it takes to keep people's attention off of her for a tad longer than if she wasn't wearing the glasses.

When she goes inside the bar she's not expecting for anyone to not know who she is. Since her name and face is out there quite a lot she gets recognized quite a lot when she goes places. But she's hoping it'll take anyone in there a little bit longer to figure things out since she's wearing sunglasses and isn't all dressed up like she usually is when she goes out because she knows the paparazzi are around. She doesn't usually care what she wears when she goes out, but if her picture is being taken, she wants to look somewhat decent and not like she just rolled out of bed.

She doesn't acknowledge anyone else as she steps inside the dimly lit room and heads straight for the bar at the back, finding a seat and pulling her sunglasses off as she sits down.

There's only one guy working behind the bar; he's tall, a bit on the muscular side but not too bulky, has dark hair and eyes, sharp cheekbones with a shade of stubble, and is wearing dark jeans and a black Henley. She won't deny that he's extremely good looking and is the type of guy she would not oppose to kissing or heavily making out with for a movie. Or just on her own free time.

"Hi. Could I get a Tequila Sunrise, please?"

"Coming right up."

She watches him closely as he moves quickly and gracefully behind the counter to produce her drink. Within seconds a glass is sitting in front of her.

As soon as his hand is off the glass she grabs for it and takes a long swig, almost draining the entire thing in one go.

She hears him let out a small laugh at how quickly she takes a drink from it, and how much she drinks.

"Bit early to be drinking like that, isn't it?"

She lets out a small laugh of her own, setting the glass back down on the counter. "Maybe. I don't usually drink like this, just so you know. Normally I just have a beer or two. Or a small glass of wine."

He gives her a small smile. "It's fine, I don't judge. You doing okay, though?"

She nods. "Yeah. I'm just a little overwhelmed at work, that's all."

"That's too bad."

She shrugs. "It is what it is. I love what I do, no doubt about it, but sometimes everything around me gets to be a little too much."

He begins cleaning glasses as he carries on the conversation. "Is that why you're out here?" he asks.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"This town's pretty small and I've never seen you come in here before. You're not from around here, are you?"

She shakes her head. "Nope. I'm from LA. The good old City of Angels."

"Wow. You're quite a ways out, then. Sure your boss isn't going to miss you while you're gone?"

"I worked it all out. A friend of mine is making sure everything's okay for me at work so I can have a day to myself."

"Well that's good that you have someone willing to do that for you."

Skye lets out a breath and a slow nod as she lifts her glass to her lips again. "Yeah, it really is."

"See ya tomorrow, Grant."

The man behind the bar, Grant, turns towards the door and waves to the young man stepping outside. "Yeah, see ya tomorrow Jake. Say hi to Cassie and the kids for me."

"Will do."

"Grant, huh?" she asks him. "That's your name?"

He turns back to her and smiles. "Grant Ward," he supplies. "And you are?"

She gives him a coy smile. "And now why would I tell you that when I could just make you work for it?"

He chuckles. "Alright. I guess that's fair, in an odd sort of way. But I don't mind. Business is usually pretty slow in the morning."

She smiles at him. "Seems like we've got all the time in the world, then."

He smiles back. "Yes it does."

As they continue to talk she wonders how long it will take before he mentions something about who she is or what she does, or stares at her boobs while he talks to her. But she finds that neither of those things happens. And that just makes her want to stay in that bar and waste the days away by talking to him.

What does end up happening is that she finds out that this random bartender is extremely easy to talk to, like they've already known each other for years. It's rare in her line of work for her to meet someone so easy to talk to. She craves these rare moments and is really going to miss this one in particular when she has to get back to the real world.

Her cell phone going off in her bag cuts into the easy flowing conversation and Skye internally groans in frustration.

"Sorry," she says to Grant, digging through her bag. "I thought I turned this thing off before I came in."

"It's fine," he tells her. "Go ahead."

She gives him a small smile before hitting the answer button and holding the phone up to her ear. "Hey Nat. What's up?"

 _"Skye, hey. I tried to call you earlier but you didn't answer."_

"Yeah, sorry. I was probably driving when you called and I didn't think to check it when I got where I was going."

 _"It's fine. I just wanted to tell you that I was able to buy you half a day, but that half day is quickly coming to an end and they're pretty insistent about you coming in this afternoon. I guess they were planning on filming a lot of your scenes today and could only do so much this morning without you there."_

"Seriously?"

 _"Yeah, I'm really sorry."_

Skye sighs. "It's okay, Nat, really. I should have known I wouldn't get a whole day. How soon do they want me back?"

 _"As soon as possible. They're doing some of your scenes with your stand in right now, but they really need you to finish out the day so they can stay on schedule with production."_

She nods. "Right, of course they do. I am the lead, after all. Just give me a few minutes and then I'll head out. It'll take me a little while to get back, but I'll text you when I'm close to set."

 _"Okay, great. I'm really sorry I wasn't able to get you the whole day off."_

"It's fine, Nat. I love you for trying and I know you did your best. I'll see you when I get back."

 _"Yeah, see you soon. Bye."_

"Bye."

Pulling the phone down, Skye hangs up the call and sets her phone down on the bar top. She lets out a deep sigh as she grabs her glass and downs the rest of her refilled drink.

"Trouble at work?" Grant asks her.

Skye sets her glass back on the counter and swallows. She nods her head. "Kind of. Which means I, unfortunately, have to get back." She stands from her stool and gathers her things together.

"Thought you said you love what you do," he replies.

"Oh I do," she tells him. "There's just this guy I'm working with that's kinda sleazy, if that's the right word for it, I think it is. But I have to work with him. I just get a little overwhelmed sometimes by everything."

He nods. "Ah. Well, I'm sorry about that."

"Thanks, but uh, it's nothing I'm not used to. Most of the guys I work with tend to be a little bit on the sleazy side around me. Wish I could get away from it but I can't. Unless of course I left my job, but I love what I do so I just roll with it."

"Give me your phone," he tells her casually.

"What?"

"Give me your phone," he repeats.

"Why would I...?"

"Just trust me."

Skye sighs. "Alright." She pulls her phone back out and unlocks it, handing it over to Grant.

He happily takes her phone and taps on the screen, holding it up in front of him for a quick moment before handing it back over to her.

Skye looks down at her phone before looking back up at him. "Did you just give me your phone number?" she asks.

He smiles and nods. "Yeah, and there's a picture in there too. Now if you're ever feeling overwhelmed from work, or some sleazy guy is getting a little too handsy with you, you can give me a call. I'm here if you ever want to talk or get a drink somewhere."

"Really?"

He nods. "Absolutely."

"Well thanks."

"No problem. Have a safe drive back to LA, okay?"

She smiles and nods. "I will." She pulls a few bills out and sets them down on the counter.

Grant shakes his head. "No need. It's on the house."

Skye gives him a small smile. "I insist. See you around, Grant." She pushes the money across the counter and then turns around and makes her way towards the door, sliding her sunglasses back onto her face.

"Hey," he calls out to her retreating form.

She turns around to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to tell me your name now?"

She smiles at him. "My name is Skye."

.

.

.

It may have only been a few hours in the late afternoon but it felt like the longest working day of her entire career. She's had work days for films that were way longer than just a few hours, some that even bled over into the next day. But this one, this one felt a whole lot longer than any of those days.

Most of it, she comes to realize when she's heading home, is because of a small town bartender that completely captured her interest within just a few minutes of meeting him. No one she's met in all her years has ever piqued her interest quite like Grant Ward has.

And the fact that he didn't stare at her boobs the entire time was definitely an added bonus.

"Great work today, Skye."

She gives a tight smile to one of the AD's. "Thanks, Joey. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya."

She gives casual goodbyes and tight smiles to some of the other crew members and actors as she makes her way out to the parking lot. The majority of them are all really nice and she enjoys their company, but there's one person in particular whose company she'd rather have at that moment.

She's extremely grateful that she doesn't run into her sleazy costar while she's walking out. She had enough of him on set when the cameras weren't rolling, she doesn't need to see him now too. And she's more than glad she doesn't.

The drive back to her place from the studio isn't a long one, thankfully, so she gets back pretty quickly and without hitting any red lights.

She's too exhausted to do anything other than grab some type of food that doesn't need to be cooked, change into sweatpants and a sports bra, and lie in bed with Netflix playing on the TV.

And that's exactly what she does. She changes into her favorite pair of sweatpants for lounging around, grabs a box of Cheez-Its and then moves into her room. She's not hungry enough for a full meal, and there's nothing in her apartment that she could eat for a full meal that doesn't require actual cooking beforehand.

She doesn't even know how long she spends scrolling through Netflix looking for something to watch before she lets out a frustrated sigh.

Looking over at her phone where it sits next to her on the bed, she bites her lip in thought. There's a part of her that says it's too early to call him up; they just met that day and she doesn't want him to think she's too eager or anything.

"But he did say to call him whenever," she mutters to herself. She sighs. "Ah, screw it."

She reaches over and picks up her phone, unlocking it and going into her contacts. She scrolls until she finds Grant's name and taps on it.

She takes a moment to just stare at the photo he inserted for his contact info. He's smiling, though the photo is a bit darker than she would like because of the lighting in the bar. She makes a mental note to ask him for a better lit photo later.

Tapping on the call button, she holds the phone up to her ear and bites her lip between her teeth as she waits for him to pick up.

After what seems like forever, she finally hears his voice on the other end.

 _"Hello?"_

"Grant, hey. It's Skye."

 _"Skye. To what do I owe the pleasure of your phone call this time of night?"_

"You said I could call you whenever," she reminds him.

 _"Right, I did say that. Feeling overwhelmed since we talked last a few hours ago?"_

Skye sighs. "Unfortunately, yeah. I mean, it was only a few hours that I worked today, but it felt like forever."

 _"Well, working on movies has a tendency to make you feel that way. Or so I've heard."_

She nods her head. "Yeah, they can. Especially when you're the star of said movie and have to pretty much carry the whole thing and work with—wait. You know I'm an actress?"

 _"Uh, yeah, I might."_

"How come you didn't say anything back at the bar?" she asks him curiously. "Usually that's the first thing people notice about me. Besides my boobs, of course. Speaking of which, you weren't staring at my boobs the whole time we were talking. Not that I'm complaining or anything, because it was a great change of pace for me to not have a guys' eyes glued to my chest, but I'm just a little curious."

 _"Right. Well, it didn't take me very long to figure out who you were once I saw you. My niece is a huge fan so I've seen a lot of your work."_

"And you didn't say anything?"

 _"I figured you came way out to my neck of the woods to get away from that crazy lifestyle. I didn't say anything so you could just relax a bit."_

Skye smiles. "Wow. Uh, thanks. That was really sweet of you to do. It was actually kind of nice getting to feel like a regular person for a few hours."

 _"Well I'm happy I could help."_

"So am I." She takes a deep breath and shifts on the bed. "You haven't answered my question about my boobs, though."

 _"Sorry, wh—what?"_

"My boobs," she repeats. "I'm pretty comfortable with them at this point in my life now and don't really think this should be an awkward conversation at all. I mean, we're both adults. So I just wanna know what you were thinking when you saw my boobs. Most guys see them and can't take their eyes off of them. You, however, made eye contact with me pretty much the whole time I was at your bar."

 _"Right. Well, uh, I did notice them when you first came in the bar, I mean, how could I not, right?"_

Skye smirks. "Swinging and a missing there, Grant."

He laughs nervously. _"Sorry. What I meant to say was...uh, I did notice them, but I figured you probably wouldn't appreciate someone staring at your...breasts, the entire time you were at the bar. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything, my Gramsy raised and taught me better than that."_

"Your Gramsy, huh?"

 _"Mm-hmm. She raised me and taught me how to be a perfect gentleman. If she knew I had been staring she would have smacked me upside the head and grounded me even though I'm a grown man."_

Skye laughs quietly. "She sounds like a great woman."

 _"She is. One of the absolute best I know."_

"That's great." She takes a deep breath and shifts on the bed again so she's lying down on her pillow, her TV now shut off and the box of crackers shoved to the floor. "So, I had a very long day at work and I'm really tired. Tell me a story."

 _"A story?"_ he asks, sounding slightly amused.

"Yes, a story. Tell me something, anything, to help me fall asleep."

Grant sighs. _"Alright, let's see what I can come up with for ya."_

* * *

She still has a few months left on her movie after that night. It's a long and tiring process, as most movies usually are. But to her, the whole thing seems to be a lot less stressful or overwhelming than any other movie she's done in the past since that day she decided to take some time to herself and go out to a bar in a faraway town. And it all has to do with a certain dark haired bartender.

Most nights, after she gets home from a filming day, she spends hours on the phone with Grant recounting her day to him or hearing more stories about his grandmother and his childhood. The stories about his grandmother are her favorites.

Whenever he asks her something about her life or her job she'll tell him something small and then ask for more stories about his life growing up with Gramsy.

On the weekends, or when she's not working during the week, she'll take a drive out to his bar. She'll sit down and have a drink while they just talk. Those are her favorite days. They talk about whatever comes to mind, about the most random things. She still pays even if he insists that she doesn't have to.

Even after she's done filming her movie she still stops by the bar to have a drink and talk to him as much as she can. It's become somewhat of a routine for her, something that she actually looks forward to amidst her crazy Hollywood life.

.

.

.

"Do you want to go out with me sometime?" she asks him on one of the days she spends out at the bar, just a few weeks after her movie has finished filming.

He looks almost startled by her proposal. "What?"

"I asked if you want to go out sometime," she repeats. "It doesn't have to be anything too crazy like a fancy dinner at a restaurant or anything; I've been on plenty of those with guys in the industry. I want something more unique, more special."

"Oh, I uh, um, I don't..."

Skye rolls her eyes with a smile. "Come on, Grant. Don't tell me that after months of these meet ups and talking on the phone all hours of the night you don't want to go on a proper date with me." She takes a sip from her glass and shifts on her stool. "See, I have this pretty strong feeling that I'm not the only one who's been feeling some kind of...tension between us." She smiles as she leans forward against the counter, the edges of her low cut shirt sliding open just a smidge. She smirks when she sees his eyes flick down to her cleavage for a quick moment.

She knows Grant; she's become very comfortable around him after spending months getting to know him. She knows him well enough by now to be okay using her boobs as some type of incentive for him. Using her assets to work over a guy and get him to do what she wants isn't something she particularly likes to do, seeing as how she has enough guys ogling them day in and day out as it is already. But there's just something about Grant that results in her not really seeming to mind using all she has to get just what she wants.

She watches with a smug smile on her face as Grant stumbles over his words, trying to keep his attention off of the cleavage that Skye is so blatantly pushing towards him. "Um, uh, I uh, I mean...wha..."

She laughs quietly. "Relax, Grant. Don't hurt yourself." She leans back in her chair, watching as he lets out a breath. "Sorry if I took you by surprise," she says. "I just wasn't sure if you were ever going to actually ask me out, so I took the liberty of asking you myself. So, want to go out sometime?"

Grant opens and closes his mouth a few times. Then he takes a deep breath to calm himself and looks Skye straight in the eyes. "Sorry, for...that," he says, referring to his previous blunders. "I _was_ a little bit taken aback by you suddenly asking me out. But I am not at all opposed to the idea. I'm all for it, actually."

Skye lets a small smile cross over her lips. "Perfect."

.

.

.

Their first date goes off without a hitch, she's very proud to say. It's one of the best first dates she's ever experienced. Part of her thinks it shouldn't actually be considered as a 'first date' because all the times she came by the bar for a drink to talk to him could technically be considered as dates.

They decide on having drinks at the bar before going upstairs to his apartment, because of course he lives above his place of work. Grant makes them a nice dinner, because he can actually cook too, which Skye finds out is a complete turn on for her. Apparently she loves it when a guy knows his way around a kitchen. Or it could just be the particular man in the kitchen. She's definitely not complaining, though.

She watches him move gracefully around the kitchen, putting together a dinner for the two of them as she sips on some really good wine that he has because him having a wine rack in his apartment is also a thing. A thing that she loves, by the way.

The dinner turns out to be more amazing than she thought it would; Grant's an incredible cook. That whole fact makes her like him even more.

"This dinner is really making me consider hiring you as my personal chef," she jokes at the table while they're eating

Grant laughs and she smiles. His laugh has quickly become one of her favorite sounds. A sound that she could never get tired listening to.

After dinner they move into the living room to just talk, like they've done so many times before. But this time it's more intimate. They're really taking the time to get to know every little thing they can about each other.

"Tell me something about you," Grant says. "Something that not even your fans could possibly know about you."

"Ooh, that's a tough one." She furrows her brows in thought before shifting on the couch. "Okay, so, I have this hula dancer bobble thing that I keep on the windowsill in my bedroom. I don't usually tell people about it because it's kind of like this good luck charm that I got from my dad when I was little and I just feel like if I tell everyone about it, it loses all the good luck magic. Is that weird?"

Grant smiles and shakes his head. "Not weird at all. It makes perfect sense."

It's really late by the time she notices the clock. She curses herself for thinking that a date at this time of the night so far from her place would actually be a good plan. She hates driving in the dark and tries to avoid it whenever she can.

Grant offers her his bed for the night, telling her that it's really comfortable.

Skye just raises an eyebrow at him and smiles.

She watches his eyes go wide when he realizes what his offer probably sounded like and he quickly tells her that she can have the bed while he takes the couch.

She agrees after some light teasing before heading to his room to go to sleep, giving him a lingering kiss on the cheek as she passes by him.

In the morning he makes her a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs to send her on her way home. She has to actually force herself to leave his apartment because she has such a good time when she's with him. But she has to leave. She knows she has to. He walks her to the door and she smiles at him, thanking him for dinner the night before and breakfast that morning. She goes to leave and then turns back to lean up on her toes and kiss him on the lips. It's a slow, chaste kiss, savoring the moment between them.

It's new territory for them, territory that Skye really likes and wants to experience more often.

Right when he goes to kiss her back she pulls away, leaving him with that love struck look in his eyes and promises of more moments like that as she walks out the door.

* * *

They continue to see each other for a while. She's usually the one who goes to see him out at his place. Every once in a while he'll venture out to LA and they'll have a night on the town when there aren't too many people out. She tells him that she wants to keep what they have to themselves for a while until they know for sure that this is real.

She knows people are talking, though. It's inevitable. They talk about where she could possibly be going all the time when she leaves LA in her car. Some of the trashier magazines and shows talk about her boobs; as if that has any reason at all as to why she's always leaving. But those guys will take any chance to talk about her boobs. She just ignores them all, even the classier ones that don't talk about her boobs. Her only focus is on Grant and making sure that she gets this relationship right.

* * *

They've only been dating for a few weeks when they finally take that next step in their relationship.

Personally, she wanted to wait a little while longer before moving forward in their physical relationship because she wanted to make sure that this thing with Grant was real. But every time she looks at him she has to really control herself. He's just so ridiculously good looking and she really wants to know what he looks like underneath all the layers of fabric from his clothes.

It's just another one of their date nights when it all happens, neither of them exactly planned for it. But that neither of them exactly tried to stop things from advancing, either.

They're making out on the couch when things grow heated very quickly. Skye's in Grant's lap and his hands are roaming all over her body while her hands are tangled in his hair.

"Bed," she says breathlessly against his lips.

In that moment she finds out that Grant is ridiculously strong, which she also finds out is another turn on for her. He carries her back to his room, only one arm wrapped around her waist while the other is tangled in her hair. Their clothes are shed and tossed to his bedroom floor faster than she can register and things only get better from there.

She finds out pretty quickly that Grant is a boob man, if how much he paid attention to those...aspects was anything to go by.

All in all, best sex she's ever had in her life. Absolutely no complaining at all from her.

"We're gonna have to do that way more often," she tells him as they lie in his bed together.

He just smiles and presses a kiss to her shoulder as he pulls her closer. "Most definitely."

* * *

Over the next few months things go really well for them. There's only a few hiccups, a few small arguments here and there. But it's nothing they can't get through. And it only makes their relationship stronger, knowing that the little things can't break them.

* * *

She manages to convince him to continue to keep their relationship on the down low. He's not too happy about it because he wants to tell people that he's with such an amazing woman. That only makes her smile.

"I promise you that eventually we will tell people," she assures him on one of their date nights at his place.

"Why can't we just tell people now?" he asks her.

"Because I want to keep this to ourselves for as long as humanly possible," she tells him. "The media can be very ruthless and unrelenting with things, especially relationships. I really like you, Grant, and I don't want anyone else getting a hold of this just quite yet."

And no one does for a few more months. Skye's very good at keeping her personal life under wraps. It's only when her movie is set to premiere that she decides to bring their relationship into the light.

.

.

.

By this point in her career, she's a pro at red carpet events. She knows how to walk, she knows how to talk, she knows how to pose. She's got the whole thing down to a science. She doesn't necessarily love going to red carpets, but it's a part of the job. She doesn't love going to them because she definitely knows that there are the occasional paparazzi along the carpet who just want to get a good shot of her boobs for the Internet. She's honestly not surprised by it in the slightest.

The only good thing about this red carpet is Grant.

Somehow she convinced him to be her date. She likes Grant. And he likes her. She's pretty confident in their relationship; she has a good feeling about it. Like, a really good feeling. A better feeling than any other relationship she's been in before.

She can tell that Grant's nervous the entire way to the event. She remembers what she was like before the red carpet of her first feature film. She was beyond terrified that she'd make a fool of herself. She has a feeling that Grant is going through something very similar.

"Everything will be fine," she tells him, placing a hand on his knee from where they sit inside the limo on their way to the event.

He looks at her and she can see the nervousness clear as day in his eyes. "Really? Are you sure about that? What if I make myself look like an idiot out there? And do you really think anyone's going to believe that someone as hot and famous as you is with a random bartender like me by choice?"

"Grant, relax," she says with a small smile. "You'll be perfectly fine out on the carpet, I promise. It's very rare that someone _actually_ makes an idiot out of themselves out there."

"Because that makes me feel so much better."

She rolls her eyes and ignores him. "And it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks about us. I am with you because I like you and want to be with you, that's all that should matter."

Grant sighs and nods. "You're right, I'm sorry."

She smiles at him. "It's fine. And as for the whole hotness thing, you're not exactly a stick in the mud, Grant. You're pretty hot yourself too, you know."

Grant smiles at her and leans in for a kiss.

Pretty soon they're out on the carpet and the cameras are all flashing away and reporters are shouting questions at her, asking who she's wearing and who the man she's with is.

Grant has his arm wrapped tightly around Skye's waist, holding her close; his other hand shoved into one of his pants pockets. Skye has her own arm wrapped around him, her other hand on her waist as the two of them pose for the cameras. She can practically feel the nerves wafting off of Grant as they slowly make their way down the carpet.

"Am I standing correctly?" he whispers in her ear at some point during the event.

"You're fine, babe," she tells him through smiling teeth. That's another thing she's perfected. Talking while smiling without moving your lips too much.

"So are you," he replies.

She looks up at him. "What?"

He shrugs and leans down further into her ear. "That dress is _really_ working for you, babe. In two ways in particular," he says in a husky voice.

Skye feels a shiver going down her spine. There's something about his voice. Ever since she first met him there's just been something about his voice. And now that she's with him...well, she really loves his voice.

"If we weren't on this carpet right now..." she trails off.

"Believe me, I know," he says back, dropping a kiss to her temple.

Eventually she makes it to one of the interviewers, Grant right by her side on the platform. She can tell he's nervous. She gives his hand a reassuring squeeze as she listens to the interviewers' question.

"This movie was definitely interesting to make," Skye answers. "I think the fans are going to be very pleased with this one. Obviously I haven't seen the final cut for it yet, but there's some really great stuff in store with this film."

"That's great. And I have to say, that dress looks incredible on you."

She knows she looks good. It's the middle of the summer and it's ridiculously hot outside. So she went for a number that goes down to her mid-thigh and hugs her in all the right places while still allowing her to breath.

"I told her the exact same thing earlier when we were on the carpet," Grant speaks up with a small smile.

The interview lets out a small laugh. "And I'm sure she said it right back to you. That suit looks very good on you."

Grant lets out a quiet laugh and glances down at his suit. "Thank you. Skye told me that this one would look best in all the photos. She's been doing this for a while now so I definitely trust her judgment on this."

"Of course. But I think the big question here is how did this," she gestures between Grant and Skye, "happen? Last we all knew, Skye, you weren't with anyone when you started working on this movie. So when exactly did all this happen?"

Skye smiles. "We actually met pretty early on in the filming process. He didn't work on the movie, but I met him while I was working on it. He's a bartender and I came into his bar for a bit of alone time one day and we started talking. A few weeks after the movie finished I asked him out and we've been together ever since. Happily, I might add." She smiles up at him.

"Things are definitely going very well," Grant says back with a smile.

.

.

.

She should have known they'd be all over the Internet that very same day. She had a secret relationship for months and then brought him with her to the red carpet premiere of her movie. Of course they'd be all over the Internet. They're even trending on Twitter. It's nothing new for her; she's trended on Twitter loads of times over the course of her career. But it's all new for Grant, and he finds the whole thing a little odd. She has to reassure him that things will be fine.

"Babe, I told you it's fine. The trending will blow over pretty quickly, trust me."

"I do trust you," he says. "It's just a little weird for me to have my name and face all over the Internet like that within just a matter of hours when before today I was just a simple bartender and—are you even listening to me right now?"

She barely glances up at him from her tablet. "Of course I am. Oh look! We have a ship name and hashtag."

"A what and a what?"

"A ship name and hashtag," she repeats. " _Skyeward_. That's actually pretty cool. I've never had a ship name in real life before. Only for the characters I've played. But it's fine, really. No biggie."

"No biggie?" Grant repeats and then lets out a sigh. "It's a good thing I love you so damn much."

In that second it's as if her entire world stops spinning and her heart jumps up into her throat. She doesn't know how long it is that they're just sitting there in silence but she sees Grant's eyes go wide and knows he's probably going into a slight panic.

It's the first time either of them have uttered those three words.

She manages to gather herself together pretty quickly, just in time to register Grant starting to stumble over his words and try and backtrack his words or apologize or something.

"Grant, hang on, it's fine," she tells him.

He sighs and shakes his head. "No, Skye, it's not fine. That's not how I wanted to tell you that I love you and—damn it! I did it again."

"Whoa, hey, calm down for a minute. Do you really love me?" she asks him, looking directly in his eyes.

He looks her back in the eyes, and she feels as if he's staring deep into her soul. She really wouldn't mind it if he was, though. "Yes."

She knows she has the widest grin ever on her lips, one of her hands going up to rest on his cheek as she gazes lovingly into his eyes. "I love you too."

* * *

 **So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

 **Gonna be doing a Q &A for New Year's this year, just like I did last year. So if you want to, leave me some questions down below for me to answer in my video. :)**

 **Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


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